German progressive metal at its finest.For those of you whose only familiarity with Vanden Plas is seeing the name on the back of some rich guy's Jag, this German progressive metal band has been cranking out music for nearly 25 years. That said, The Seraphic Clockwork is only their 6th studio album to date. And if you're looking for music set firmly in the archetypes of the genre, you've come to the right place.
Vanden Plas' strengths lie in crafting compelling rhythms with a judicious use of dynamics, reminiscent of genre forefathers like Dream Theater. Following another common prog metal standard, The Seraphic Clockwork is a concept album chock full of imagery. Songs like Holes In The Sky will definitely call to mind the satisfying unison runs (at 3:35 in the track) heard so often on albums like Images and Words. While Sound of an Angel wields the power of Symphony X-style interludes (@ 2:26) with ease. But don't let me mislead you; Vanden Plas definitely puts its own stamp on the genre with a Gothic chorus on Sound of Blood (2:25) and a string accompaniment on Quicksilver (1:51) and On My Way To Jerusalem (:25), the album's showpiece.
Andy Kuntz ably handles the singing chores, from smooth crooning to accentuating growls, demanded of prog metal's better vocalists. Stephan Lill's guitar work won't immediately blow you away necessarily, but make no mistake, he can play. See what I mean on tracks like Quicksilver (7:29) and on the intense Rush of Silence (7:11) for proof of his skills.
The Bottom Line: Despite a disappointingly flat mix overall, The Seraphic Clockwork is a solid album from one of the better bands in the genre. Fans of prog metal should definitely add this to their collection.
- Genghis likes his metal proggy